For the Love of William Evans
by licensetokill0108
Summary: Ever wonder why Dan said Will had a good foundation? This is the story of William Evans after his return from Contention. Rated T for mild language.
1. The Message

I don't own anything. Well, except Elizabeth and her family.

* * *

It was about lunchtime when Mark Evans came riding into the yard. I'd heard a little of what had happened in town the day before, so when he came instead of Will to tell us, I knew something was wrong.

"Mark Evans, what brings you here?" my sister, Rachel, asked as soon as he dismounted from his horse.

"Well, Ma needs a cup of flour and Will asked me to bring a message to Elizabeth," Mark replied, tying up his horse.

"A message? Why didn't Will come to tell me himself?" I was dreading the response.

"Well, I reckon he would if he was still here."

"Still here? Where'd he go?" Rachel asked before I could respond.

"He went after Pa. Said he could ride and shoot better than all the men who left with him, so he had a right to go too."

"Where'd your pa go?" I asked, even though I'd already heard about Ben Wade in town.

"I'm not sure, but Ma said Pa had to take Ben Wade to Contention to catch the train. I also overheard them talking about how Pa might not come back, so he wanted Will to stay and take care of Ma and me," Mark explained, before going into a coughing attack.

"Come on," I said, leading him toward the house. "Let's go inside. I'll get the flour your Ma needs and you can tell me Will's message." Rachel gave me this look as if to say, 'you better come back out here because I'm not finishing these chores alone'.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back, Rachel."

As Mark and I came into the house, I lead him to the kitchen and I sat him down on one of the dinning room chairs. I went and got the flour and an extra jar, then came back to the table to talk to Mark while I measured out his flour.

"One cup right?" He nodded.

"I'll give you a little more just in case. So what's the message?"

"He said, 'Don't pay any heed to Charlie McDonald. He's not worth it and you deserve better.' I'm not sure what he meant, but he said you'd know," Mark told me, looking puzzled and apologetic as if he was sorry he couldn't answer any questions I had.

"Don't worry, I know what he means. He's crazy, but I know what he means. My question is though, why didn't he tell me himself?"

"He left, I don't know why he didn't tell you sooner though, he's been mumbling to himself about this for almost two weeks."

"Hmm…okay, thanks. Well, here's the flour," I said, handing him the jar. "And when, well, if he comes back, ask him to come see me as soon as possible."

"Sure, thanks, Elizabeth. By the way, where is everyone?"

"Well, Ma and Susan are in town getting supplies and food and John and Pa are out with the cattle."

"Oh, Ma wanted me to thank your Ma for the flour and to tell John 'Happy Birthday'. Will you pass on the messages for me?"

"Of course, bye Mark and thanks for the message."

"You're welcome. Bye Elizabeth," he said, heading back out to his horse.

As I was putting the flour away I heard him say good-bye to Rachel and then Rachel's pounding footsteps coming up the porch, into the house.

"So, what was the message?" Rachel asked, sitting at the table and looking at me expectantly.

"Not that its any of your business, but he said Charlie McDonald was no good and not worth the time of day," I said, importantly.

"Oh, what does he know, he's only fourteen. And so are you, you're way too young for Charlie."

"I'm not interested in Charlie. Will only thinks I am because of the errands you keep sending me on to find information about him."

"Did you tell Mark that, because if you did…"

"No, Rachel, your secret's safe with me," I interrupted. "I would never betray a sister of mine. That would be wrong."

She looked at me for a long, hard while before saying, "Fine, I believe you. Now help me finish the chores before Ma and Pa return."

William Evans and I have been best friends for years, ever since his family moved here because of Mark's tuberculosis. Well, John and me have been his best friends, at least since Richard died. Richard is, well, was my twin. When we were three, Richard was diagnosed with TB, and like the Evans, the doctor told my parents that the warm, dry climate of Arizona would help him live, at least for a while.

When Will moved in to the ranch next to ours, him, Richard and I became instant best friends, we told each other everything. Even our parents became great friends like we did, and Mark became the little brother I never had.

Richard was doing so much better and everything seemed to be going so well. Life was good. Then one night in late November, Richard had a major coughing attack and suddenly his health went down hill. Within three months, he was gone. Since he was my twin, I think I had the hardest time dealing with the loss of him, and Will was always there when I needed him.

Ma and Pa were real distraught over the whole thing, so having Will was a gift from God to help me through it. I'm the fourth child out of five, so being a middle child got me lost in translation a little with the rest of the town, even though he was my twin. I guess Will was so nice to me because he was afraid of it happening to Mark and knew I felt so bad, but it did kind of make us closer. John and I also became close after Richard's death and that's probably why he and Will became close too.

John is the oldest of us kids at seventeen years old. Then there's Rachel who is sixteen, but she acts like she's thirty and the queen of the world. We fight a lot because she uses me to get boys to notice her. She can't wait to get married, settle down and have a lot of kids. Right now, she's in love with Charlie McDonald, or so she tells me. She recruited me to find information about Charlie so that's probably why Will thinks I am interested in him. I almost laughed when Mark told me Will's message because Charlie is five years older than me and I have no interest in marriage, at least for now.

Next is Richard and I, twins, but he was born five minutes before me. No one thought that we would all make it out all right, but Ma, Richard and I all stayed alive and well. Richard was the family favorite, everyone knew. He was an all around great person, didn't even complain about the chores or work Pa made him do. He would have done big things, changed the world. He wanted to build buildings and bridges, and he would have been great at it, but I guess God had different plans for him.

Susan is the youngest, born a year after Richard and I. Let's just say I don't think she was planned, but she and Rachel are Ma's favorite, perfect little darling girls. They always obey our parents and sit quietly reading or sewing, the poster children of perfect daughters. Me, on the other hand, I like helping with the cattle and horses, running around getting dirty, but Ma likes to try and force me into a way of life I don't like. She wants me to marry as soon as possible, I guess so that she can make me someone else's problem.

I'm worried about Will. He has a tendency to run headfirst into problems and situations that get him into trouble. I really hope he and Mr. Evans come back safely, I know how painful losing someone is, and losing two would be horrible. He's a little rough around the edges, but Mr. Evans is like my second Pa and Mrs. Evans, my second Ma because of how much time I spend over at their house. I think I see and tell them more than I do my own parents. I'll go and help Mrs. Evans while her two men are away, at least to help Mark with the cattle. I'll ask Ma when she gets home tonight.

Will cared enough to tell me to stop thinking on Charlie McDonald because he's bad news. Everyone knows he is lazy and mean to kids. Its real sweet that Will's looking after me with Richard gone and John so focused on his education. Will also said that I deserve better, which could mean that he…No, he's my best friend, he can't think that way about me. Well, thinking back on the message Mark brought me from Will, I knew one thing was certain. I am in love with William Evans.


	2. Will's Back

I don't own anything, except of course Elizabeth's family and Charlie McDonald.

* * *

Mr. Butterfield kept his promises and more. After the train left with Ben Wade on it, Mr. Butterfield arranged for a casket and Pa to be sent home. Paid for it himself, didn't even take it out of the 1000. He took me back to our ranch. Well, I recon he did, I was a bit dazed the entire time.

All I really remember about when we got home was Ma hugging me for almost the entire day and when she wasn't, she was arranging for Pa's funeral or hugging Mark. She wanted to bury him under the tree next to the barn. In fact, she didn't even scold me for sneaking out of the house.

It wasn't until the next day that Mark gave me the reply from Beth to come visit her. For a while there I'd forgotten all about her and Charlie. I figured I'd go that day because her family needs to know about Pa anyways, especially if they are to come to the funeral. Plus, I need to see Beth, just to make it okay, take my mind off of things for a while.

Riding up to her house, I could hear laughter coming from inside. How I wish I could laugh like that right now. After tying my horse up to the hitching post, walked up to the front door and knocked. I could hear the laughter stop, then a chair scraping back against the wooden floor and the light footsteps of a girl coming to answer my knock. When Beth's face appeared in the doorway, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

"Hello, Beth," I said, feeling better just by looking at her.

"Will!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around my neck. "I was so worried about you. When Mark came and told us you were gone, that you'd followed your Pa and Ben Wade…I was afraid that you weren't coming back."

I didn't say anything. I could see her family in the room behind her, and I was afraid that if I said anything I would not be able to hold back the flood of tears that were threatening to escape from behind my eyelids. She pulled back to look at me.

"Is everything alright?" I shook my head 'no', but my attempts to keep from crying were futile as a tear escaped my eye and trailed down my cheek. She pushed me onto the porch before turning back to talk to her family.

"I'll be right back, we're going to go talk in the barn." She grabbed her coat and then backed out onto the porch, closing the door behind her. We stood there for a minute as she pulled on her coat and the tears began streaming quietly down my face. I hadn't really been able to mourn for Pa, what with Mr. Butterfield looking on the entire trip back. Beth grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the barn, then up into the hayloft.

"What's happened?" she asked simply, pulling out a handkerchief for me to use. I hated crying in front of her, but I couldn't stop the tears from coming. I began telling her the entire trip from saving all of their lives to sitting holed up in the hotel and then finally about watching Pa get shot and killed by Ben Wade's gang. Of course I told her about Wade killing his entire gang because of Pa's death, but it was a minor victory compared to losing my father. Once in the barn, telling my story, I let the tears flow. She's my best friend; of course she would understand and not think any less of me because of it.

"Beth, I figured I could come talk to you because you know what I'm going through, what with Richard and all," I said, watching her flinch at the mention of her twin's name. "I mean, you saw, you watched someone you love die right before your eyes too. I supposed you to understand. I'm sorry, I know it's hard to talk about and I shouldn't have…"

"Will," she interrupted, taking my hands in hers. "I'm fine, you needn't apologize about bringing up Richard; I'm not going to break. But watching my brother slowly fade into nothing and seeing your Pa brutally murdered are…completely different. I don't think I could stand here and say I know exactly how you feel, because I really don't. But, Will, I'm glad you thought about it enough to trust me."

"Shit, I shouldn't have come. Now you probably are going to go out and have a good laugh about me with all your friends. I should go," I said, quickly standing up and making my way toward the ladder.

"No, Will, I would never. Plus, you and John are basically my only friends anyway," she said in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood by mocking her lack of social companions. "I meant I was glad you trust me enough to let me see you like this. I don't think any less of you because of it. In fact, I probably would have thought less of you had you shown no remorse over losing your Pa. I know how much you hated him for never doing anything to stand up for himself or the rest of your family. Anyway, I don't know how I would be able to handle this if it was my Pa, especially since Richard. Is there anything else on your mind you wanted to talk about?"

I wanted to tell her everything. Every thought or feeling I'd had since first meeting her, but instead I just shook my head and said, "No, nothing."

"Oh, that reminds me, about Charlie McDonald, I'm not interested in him," she said, giggling, but I couldn't see what was so funny about it. "Rachel is! She just recruited me to find information about him and possibly drop hints that he should woo her. I don't like doing it, but she's my sister and these bad errands she makes me do always lead to us becoming closer and it also prevents her from telling Ma everything I do. So, don't worry about Charlie McDonald. But, if Charlie isn't good enough for me, who, might I ask, would be?" There was this mischievous twinkle in her eyes and I knew she was trying to pry the name of a secret admirer out of me, but I wasn't going to budge. I just smiled at her.

"Anyone and everyone is better than Charlie McDonald, but you will not get any specific names out of me, missy," I said, laughing. At least now she made the tears stop. "Thank you, Beth."

We sat there talking for maybe another hour before I had to head home for dinner. I don't want to leave Ma for any long periods of time right now, she needs me to be strong for her. I guess that's why I was so glad to have Beth to be weak in front of. She didn't need me to be steady, strong and constant like Ma and Mark did.

Wow, come to think of it, looking back on all our years of friendship, she was always there when I needed her. I remember the first day met. It was two days after we'd made it to the ranch and we hadn't met anyone yet. I was angry that we'd had to move, my whole life was back in Massachusetts but I knew Mark needed the Arizona climate to help his tuberculosis. I'd gone out riding with Pa to go meet the neighbors and get some supplies in Bisbee.

As we came up to their house I could see a boy and a girl, about five years old playing in between the house and the barn. The girl saw us first and ran over to the barn.

"Pa, new people coming!" she shouted before pulling the boy over to the front porch and hiding behind a post. A man, whom I assumed to be her Pa came out of the barn and walked up to our horses with a shotgun in one hand.

"Hey there, who're you?" he sounded a bit suspicious.

"Hello," Pa replied. "We're you're new neighbors just across that hill there; came to say 'hello' and meet you. The name's Dan Evans, this here's my oldest, Will. My wife, Alice and my other boy, Mark, are back at the ranch settling in." At this point a lady with two other girls came out of the house and a boy, I guessed to be a little older than me came out of the barn.

"Well, welcome. Sorry about the hostility, one never can be too cautious out here. The name's Henry Johnson. That's my wife, Jane, with our daughters Rachel and Susan. The boy over by the barn is my son, John, and…" he trailed off looking around the yard, obviously for the two who were here when we first rode up. "Now where in the name of heaven could they be?" He seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else.

"The twins, Richard and Elizabeth are around here somewhere…" he trailed off. Then suddenly, the twins appeared next to their Pa, as if by magic.

"Pa, you know I don't want to be called Elizabeth," the little girl said, tugging on his pants leg.

"Well, then, can I call you Beth?" I asked, a sudden confidence coming over me.

"Everyone calls me Elizabeth anyway, but I guess you could call me Beth," she replied, screwing up her face as if thinking really hard about it.

"My favorite aunt is Beth, that's why I thought of it," I said, smiling at her. I'd only known the girl two minutes and already I could tell we'd be great friends.

"We should get going, Will," Pa told me, then he turning back to the family. "But Alice will be grateful to hear of four females living so nearby. I know being the only girl gets to her sometimes."

"I'd love to have tea or coffee with her," Mrs. Johnson told us, walking toward our horses. "Tell your wife I'll be by later to meet her, and I'll bring a cake too."

"But, Ma, I wanted some of that cake," Beth whined, running over to her ma.

"Stop complaining and be nice to our guests."

"I'm sure Alice would love to see your children too, Mrs. Johnson. Plus, Elizabeth can come, play with Will and get her own slice of cake. They seem to be about the same age," Pa said, smiling down at Beth.

"Alright, sounds wonderful," said Beth before turning toward the house. "Come on, Richard, let's go play."

"Elizabeth, what do you say to our guests?" her Ma scolded.

"It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Evans, Will," she said, curtseying to us, then running behind the barn with Richard trailing after.

That afternoon they came over and her, Richard and I were inseparable ever since. That's how Beth both got her name and became the best friend I could always talk to. She knows what its like to have a brother with tuberculosis, how they always seem to get the attention. I may have missed Massachusetts for the first few months, but Arizona brought me something Massachusetts never had, someone I could spill my deepest secrets to and who wouldn't judge me because of it.

* * *

Review, please! Comments, questions, criticism, anything is gratefully accepted…


	3. The Funeral

The Funeral

The night after Will came to see me, I asked Ma to let me go over to the Evans' ranch and help them with funeral preparations and everyday tasks. How distressed Will was today, I knew he'd crack if he was left there alone. Also, from his descriptions, Mrs. Evans needed a break.

Ma said I could, so the next day I took my horse and rode out to their ranch. I got there right on time, or so it seemed. Mrs. Evans was sitting at the table, weeping quietly and Will and Mark were right outside getting ready to go wrangle the cattle. I rode up toward the two boys so as to tie my horse to the fence.

"Good Morning, Will," I called, leading my horse toward them. Will looked up, startled.

"Morning, Beth. What're you doing here?"

"I thought you and your ma might need some help with everything, and by the looks of it, I was right," I said, nodding toward the doorway as Will mounted his horse.

"Ma!" he exclaimed, attempting to get to her. "She must have waited for us to leave before…" I stopped him from going toward her.

"I'll take care of her, Will. You and Mark need to go get the cattle, I'll be here to help for a while."

As soon as Will and Mark had ridden off toward the herd, I turned my attentions back to the doorway and Mrs. Evans, still sitting there, quietly sobbing into her handkerchief. I walked up to the doorway and knocked quietly.

"Mrs. Evans?"

"Oh, Elizabeth, I wasn't expecting you," she said, turning her face away quickly.

"No, don't worry about it, I'm here to help. Just tell me what you need done around the house."

She looked up at me, and the gratefulness in her eyes was enough to know that I'd done something good. I puttered about for a few hours, cleaning up and straightening the house. Then I got lunch ready for the entire Evans family, at least what was left of it. After a while, Mrs. Evans' weeping slowed until she finally stopped, probably out of exhaustion. She sat at the table, still quiet, just staring out the still open doorway, lost in thought.

It was about six hours after I arrived that the house was clean, lunch was made, and Will and Mark came riding up to the house. Seeing her sons, a smile spread over her face, and for the first time in five hours, she spoke, talking to her sons and welcoming them home. I stood in the back, out of the way of the grieving family. I knew how hard it was to lose someone special and close to one's heart. I figured they'd want to talk and reminisce alone as a family, so I snuck out the back door and made my way home for lunch.

The next day, Will came over to thank me, said they'd finally gotten to really talk and mourn after Mr. Evan's death. I was just glad to help, Will had always been there for me after Richard's death, and Mr. and Mrs. Evans had supported me in their own way as well.

Will had also come to bring the message that his pa's funeral was to be tomorrow at their ranch. I assured him we would all be there and Ma came out and told him to tell his ma that we'd do all we could to help.

In the end, Rachel and Susan made a casserole stew for afterward and Ma and I baked a cake and arranged the flowers Susan and I had picked earlier. I asked Ma if I could go early to help Mrs. Evans and make sure that Will was okay, but she told me no because we were all going early to help out. She also gave us a special message that Mrs. Evans was not to lift a finger at all today.

After Ma and Pa put on their mourning clothes and Rachel, John, Susan and I were all in our Sunday best, we took the carriage out because Rachel and Susan were complaining about riding horses in their Sunday clothes, not that we had six horses anyway, but Ma made me ride in the carriage "like a proper lady". Truth be told, I didn't care none too much about being proper, I just wanted to get over there fast because I knew it would be awful hard on Will today and he'd need time with just me so he didn't have to be strong. I didn't care, I liked being his shoulder; he was, after all, the love of my life, whether he returned the feeling or not.

When we got to the Evans ranch, Mr. Butterfield was already there, talking to Mrs. Evans in hushed tones. Ma knocked politely, even though the door was open and Mrs. Evans came to help us with our gifts of food and flowers while Mr. Butterfield shrunk into the background. Ma refused the help, but hugged Mrs. Evans for a long time, Pa standing next to them with his hand on Mrs. Evans shoulder in silent support. John was still outside, tying the horses up, Rachel and Susan put the food on the table and I put the flowers next to Mr. Evans' closed casket. I placed my hand on the lid in quiet mourning and 'goodbye' then I turned around to see Will watching me.

"Goodness, you scared me," I said, walking toward him only to be enveloped in a hug.

"It's okay, Will," I said, stroking his back.

"I'm scared I won't be able to hold it together," he whispered in my ear.

"I'll be here to back you up, signal me if you need me to come interrupt someone getting particularly emotional," I whispered back.

"What's the signal?"

"Motion behind your back, I'll keep watch, I promise."

Just then Mark appeared behind his brother and startled me more than Will had. He looked like he'd been crying, so I opened my right arm to invite him to join our hug, which he gratefully accepted. I could tell Will was having a problem holding it all in, but my almost younger brother needed me to help him too.

We all stood there for about five minutes, Mrs. Evans and my parents, and Will, Mark and me, hugging. Then when Rachel and Susan got bored and felt awkward enough standing there, they began to arrange chairs, and then pushed the table against the dinning room wall. John came in and joined us, then after some silent signaling, John took Mark aside and I pulled Will out to the back of the house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the tears in his eyes, so I walked a little faster in my attempt to get him out of the house. Unfortunately, Mr. Butterfield had decided that that was a good place to sit too, so we startled him as much as he started us when we walked up. He, being very paternal to Will since the incident, came over to try and soothe him. I knew Will didn't want this, so I quickly pulled Will out toward the grass.

"Sorry, Mr. Butterfield," I called over my shoulder as we ran through the field. We had to get away from there, and fast. I could feel the high grass tugging at my skirt and stockings, but I didn't care. Hopefully Ma would understand that helping Will was more important than my Sunday clothes.

I don't know how long we sat there, but almost all of Bisbee was there when we came back. Ma gave me a warning glance, but I'd explain later. We came in holding hands, and I got a few disapproving looks from people who could only imagine what a messy-haired, dirty clothes girl and an equally messy boy would have been doing out in the field for so long. They were wrong, of course, and I told them so by glaring, I didn't care if they were my elders. I was not that kind of a girl, plus, I'm like a sister to him anyway. I stayed by him as long as I could, but Ma came up and began to pull me outside, scolding me for mussing my Sunday clothes and how I was ruining the funeral. She'd begun picking dead grass out of my hair when Will came out to find us, my knight in shining armor.

"Mrs. Johnson, don't blame Beth. I needed her to comfort me and I couldn't let Ma see me cry. It's my fault her clothes are ruined and when I get the chance, I'll pay for new ones or make them myself or whatever I have to do to get her out of trouble." Ma stopped picking at my hair and went to give Will a hug. I mouthed a 'thank you' to him once she turned her back on me. Ma began to consol him.

"Oh, my dear boy, don't worry about her clothes, small items, she'll grow out of them by spring anyway. I just want the best for your father."

"Thank you, Mrs. Johnson. Now, may I steal Beth back, I need her," he said, smiling and my heart soared. He needed me!

"Of course," Ma said, kissing the top of his head, then Will grabbed my arm pulling me back into the house. When I passed Ma, she struck her hand out to get one last bit of grass, and then let me go. As soon as we were back inside, he begun to take over where Ma had left behind and pulling stuff out of my hair.

"You really do have a lot of shit in your hair."

The rest of the funeral went pretty smoothly. Rachel and Charlie flirted a lot and Will and me got off unharmed by either parent though Mrs. Evans didn't seem the type to spank or anything like that, especially not at a time like this.

My family stayed behind to help clean, then my parents left swiftly, calling us kids to come too. I hugged Mark and Will, curtseyed to Mrs. Evans then ran out so I wouldn't be scolded. Will and I would talk tomorrow. We talk everyday.


	4. The Aftermath of Contention

The Aftermath of Contention

Will and I met up the day after the funeral in front of his house. I convinced Ma to let me continue to help Mrs. Evans.

"Morning, Beth," he called to me as I was dismounting my horse.

"Morning, Will. How're things today?" I asked after tying up my horse.

"Hmm…slow," he said, a cup of coffee in his hand. By the looks of it, no one else was up and no breakfast has been made.

"Mark and Ma aren't up yet, but they need to go to Bisbee for supplies. I have to make sure the cattle are watered and fed. Help me?"

"Of course, but first, I'll make breakfast. Don't wake them up yet, let them sleep," I said, walking toward the kitchen.

"Wouldn't dream of it. They ran this place all by themselves for days. I already fed and watered the horses and milked our new cow."

"Ooo…a cow," I said, mocking him.

"Shut up, it's a big deal, Mr. Butterfield gave it to us yesterday," he said, taking a large sip of coffee. There was something that didn't smell too right in the house. My sniffing landed me at his mug. I took it out of his hands and took a sip myself only to gag and send myself into a coughing fit.

"What is that?" I asked, between coughs.

"Coffee," he seemed puzzled by my question. "Want some?"

"Ugh, no, thanks. That is not coffee. It tastes more like dirt. Didn't your ma ever teach you something as simple as making coffee?"

"No, I figured it out myself this morning and I'm damned proud of myself too."

"Will, you cannot deny that this tastes bad," I said, seriously. After a minute he backed down.

"Okay, fine, it's shit. I know it tastes like shit, can't you let me pretend at least to have one victory."

"Your life is victory enough for now." I knew I probably shouldn't have said that because he got real quiet, so I turned my attention back to breakfast.

"Eggs sound good?" I didn't turn around.

"Defiantly."

A few minutes later I had eggs, potatoes and coffee (proper coffee) made for all the Evans' and I even taught Will how to make the coffee himself. It was then and only then did I let him wake his ma and Mark.

Mark was out first. He came out and without saying anything, dug straight into the eggs like it was the last food on earth and he was a starving whale. Will came out after he'd woken up his mother and said she was getting dressed, and then he ate too. I had just sat down with a cup of coffee, I'd had breakfast at home, when Mrs. Evans came out looking flustered and embarrassed.

"Good Heavens, Elizabeth. Why didn't you wake me, I'm so sorry you had to make breakfast all alone."

"Actually, Will helped. And I taught him to make a proper pot of coffee. When I first got here, he was drinking something that tasted like dirt."

"These eggs are delicious, Elizabeth," Mark told me after he had swallowed a particularly large mouthful of eggs.

"Yeah, Beth, they're great," Will agreed.

"Well, Miss Johnson, I hope you aren't wooing my boys with your eggs," Mrs. Evans teased, laughing and taking a bite herself.

"Of course not, you still make the best eggs in all of Arizona, Mrs. Evans."

"Well, these might give mine a run for their money," she praised. I just blushed and took a sip of coffee, I had, after all, learned to cook eggs by watching her. Mrs. Evans than looked from Will to me and shook her head in disbelief. I looked up to see Will staring at me, apparently lost in thought.

After they were done eating and Mrs. Evans and Mark had left for Bisbee, Will and I headed out to wrangle the cattle. We found them about a quarter mile away grazing. After, we began our trek home again. He talked the entire time about his trip to Contention, especially about Ben Wade. Suddenly on the way back he stopped talking all together. I hadn't really been listening, more staring at the ground, but when he stopped talking I quickly looked up only to see him staring at me again.

"Thank you, Beth. Today at breakfast was the first time I'd seen my mother laugh in days."

"Sure," I said, blushing in embarrassment and just smiled at the ground again. "We should get the cattle in." He didn't bring up the subject again, but resumed talking about his trip the entire way back.

I stayed all day listening to Will's endless talking. I helped with lunch, and then told Mrs. Evans that if she made dinner, I would clean up. She was very grateful for all my help. I know this because she kept telling me all day long. After dinner, Will was sitting in a chair at the table while I was cleaning up. Mrs. Evans was putting Mark to sleep and giving him his medication.

"…and did I tell you, Ben Wade said Dodge City was the place where a man could get everything he would ever need," Will was saying.

"You could get everything you need here," I mumbled to myself, getting angry.

"What?"

"I said, you could get everything you'd ever need here," I told him, louder, putting down the cloth I was drying with and turning around. "For goodness sake, Wade, Wade, Wade. Will, he's all you've talked about since you got home. In fact, I think you've probably talked about him more than your own pa."

"It's just that he was nicer than people make him out to be."

"He's a murderer, Will! He probably said all those things to gain your trust so that you would let him go," I argued.

"No, he reads the Bible!"

"Well, if you're so in love with him, why don't you go run off and join his gang if you like him so much! Or better yet, why don't you just go and marry him!" I yelled. I couldn't take it anymore.

"What is going on here?" Mrs. Evans came out, hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Evans," I said, putting my head down in shame. "I'm finished cleaning the dishes, I should get home. My parents will be worried."

"If they were worried, John would have come to check on you by now," Will argued.

"If I don't show up tomorrow it's because Ma wouldn't let me come," I said, ignoring Will.

"Well, thank you so much for all your help," Mrs. Evans said, seemingly flustered.

"Good bye," I said, grabbing my coat and bonnet on the way out. I paused briefly outside to pull them on, and then I began walking toward my horse to leave. I heard the door open and Will's heavy footsteps coming up behind me.

"If you don't show up tomorrow, can we meet up somewhere to talk?"

"Not if it's about Ben Wade," I said, trying to control my anger. "Don't worry about me, I've been in enough of your harebrained schemes to protect myself." I was trying to saddle him, but Will was frustrating me and it wasn't working as hoped. He took the saddle from me and saddled my horse for me while I watched angrily.

"It's your family I'd be worried about. You just lost your pa, and if you go to Dodge City, they'll be heartbroken. All you'll find in Dodge City is whores, alcohol, and gambling. That's why Wade likes it so much; he has no family to tie him down. In fact, if he did have a family he'd probably have shot them by now, that's just who he is."

"I don't want to go to Dodge City!" Will said, trying to take my hands in his but I knocked them away.

"Then why do you talk about it so much?"

"I don't know, it's different, interesting. I've never been that far from home before. Please, can I see you tomorrow?" he pleaded.

"I've put off every errand that Ma and Rachel have asked of me these past few days that I've helped your family," I said, still angry. "I probably should do them now, it'll take at least one day, maybe more." I pushed Will aside and bridled my horse.

"I don't get it, why do you do everything Rachel tells you to do?" Will seemed to be getting angry too.

"You know why! If I say no, she'll tell Ma about all those schemes that she's caught us doing, like the time we almost burnt the barn down…If she tells Ma, my life is over, they'll marry me off for sure."

"They won't marry you off, your pa wouldn't allow it. You're his favorite, you won't marry until you're at least eighteen," he said, blankly, as if he was lost in thought again.

"No, I'm not. He likes John best, at least since Richard died. Anyway, how do you know that, my Pa hasn't even told me that?"

"You're his favorite girl, at least."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I can't tell you how I know! If I did it would ruin everything."

"How would it ruin everything?" He stayed silent. "Will!"

"It's because I asked your…No, I'm not going to say anything, you'll laugh at me."

"Tell me, Will. Now!" But instead of saying anything, instead, he came over and hugged me, despite my attempts to get away.

"Stop it," I said, beginning to sob. I don't know what came over me, but I lost it. "I can't lose you again. I was so worried when you followed your pa, if you went to Dodge City never to return…I don't know what I'd do." Will chuckled.

"You'd probably marry my brother so you could help my ma all the time," he said, jokingly. I shivered at the thought.

"Ew…no, he's like my little brother. That wouldn't be right," I said, laughing myself. "I'm sorry I've been so angry recently. I'm just scared you'll leave. You read those ten cent novels about outlaws all the time, I figured you'd leave as soon as you got the chance."

He continued to hug me for another few minutes and I saw behind him his ma standing in the doorway watching us. I burned my head in his shoulder so as not to look at her anymore. I was afraid she'd be able to see how I felt about her son by looking me in the eye.

"I really should go," I said, pulling out of the hug. "My Ma will have my hide if I don't get back soon."

"Tomorrow?" he asked, hopefully.

"I really do have a lot of errands to do, maybe Wednesday," I said, mounting my horse. "Bye, Will. Goodnight."

"Night, Beth," he said, waving as I rode off toward my parent's ranch.


	5. The Truth

The Truth

After Beth was out of sight, I turned around and noticed Ma watching me. I don't know how long she'd been standing there, but she was smiling, knowingly.

"What, Ma?" I asked, walking back toward the house.

"Come inside and get ready for bed," she said, turning back into the house. I came inside and washed my face, all the while, Ma was staring at me.

"You've missed her while you were gone." It wasn't a question. I walked over and picked up the drying rag Beth had been using and began to play with it. After a few moments of silence, I looked up and just nodded. No use lying, she is my mother, she'd see right through it.

"You should tell her how you feel. One day you might just turn around and she'll be gone."

"Not until she's eighteen. I have four years."

"What if she decides to go east to school and you lose your chance to some rich heir to the steel company. You never really know how long you have."

"You're talking about Pa now, aren't you?"

"I'm still talking about your 'Beth'. She doesn't let anybody else call her that, you know. No one else gets to call her by any nicknames, not even her pa."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything. She hasn't said anything to me either, it's just a hunch. How do you know the age eighteen anyway?"

"I asked her pa," I said, putting the towel down. "He said no one would be allowed to marry her until she's eighteen and she can't be betrothed until she's seventeen. Anyway, I don't plan on telling her anything until I'm sure," I went to hug Ma goodnight before walking in to fall asleep next to my brother with only one thing on my mind.

After making sure the cattle were properly taken care of the next day, I decided it was my turn to go visit Beth. When I got there I found her in the barn, milking.

"So, these are those important errands? Milking the cow does not take two days." I know I startled her because she jumped about a mile into the air.

"Will, you startled me, I didn't expect you to come. I mean, with all that's going on at your ranch. Aren't you supposed to build the barn this week, or at least start it?"

"I can put it off for at least one more day, plus, the lumber isn't in yet. What else have you got to do for Rachel and your ma?"

"I have to go into Bisbee to get some things Rachel wants. I promised her I'd go today, but you can come if you want."

"Let's take one horse, so as we don't wear out two good horses."

"As long as it's my horse, yours already had to come all the way here."

After she was done milking, she collected her coat, bonnet, and Rachel's list of items, which included stationary and a bolt of nice clothe for her "wedding dress" as she put it. Don't know who'd marry her, but if they did, Beth would probably be free from doing everything Rachel asked. I told Beth if we took her hose, I had to rode and would have to hold on to me. She agreed, reluctantly. We met a few people in town who gave their condolences to me about Pa, but the entire trip only took about an hour because all Rachel asked for was in the mercantile and we were the only ones there. I didn't much like the place because Hollander owned it, but he hadn't bothered us since Pa's death, so I figured I wouldn't cause any trouble either.

This ended up being her last errand of the day, so after we brought all the items back to her house and Rachel examined them to make sure they were fine, I convinced Beth to come with me and sit under a nearby tree. The grass was green once more because the rains had come, and it smelled so sweet I needed to sit in it. We both sat with our backs to the tree for a minute before I reached over and pulled the ribbon out of her hair, releasing the single braid she had hanging down her back.

"Why don't you ever wear your hair down?" She pushed her fingers through her hair to help it along.

"A proper young lady never reveals her hair to the public," she said, mockingly. "Plus, it gets in my face if I don't"

"Let me guess, your ma said that."

"No, Rachel, but she probably got it from Ma," she said, laying down with her head in my lap. "Who'd know errands would tire one so much."

I didn't say anything, just ran my fingers through her hair as she closed her eyes. I liked being able to just sit comfortably in silence with her.

"My pa was a hero the day he died," I said, suddenly. She'd said she wanted to hear about my pa.

"I thought you hated your pa because he never stood up for himself. Or for you and your brother and your ma, for that matter."

"I understand why he didn't now. Ben Wade is dangerous, Hollander is dangerous and he didn't want any of us to get hurt. But he took Wade to the train when no one else would. He told me to always remember that. And when I have children, I'll tell them his story, their grandfather, the hero."

"When I have children I won't let my ma get a hold of them. They have to have manners of course, but if the girls want to herd cattle instead of sew they can. But, it was good to hear you talk about your pa, thank you, Will," she said the last part, opening her eyes.

We sat there until the sun was pretty low in the sky, then we walked back to her house after she re-braided her hair. When we got there, Rachel was practically jumping from excitement. In a manner, completely unlike her, she came over and hugged us both, "I'm so glad you two are here."

"I live here, Rachel, I don't exactly have a choice," Beth said, pulling away from her sister. Just then the door to her parent's room opened and Mr. Johnson and Charlie McDonald came out. After a nod from her pa, Rachel squealed and ran to hug Charlie. Beth and I just looked at each other, mocking them. A few minutes later the rest of the Johnson family came in and we all had to be seated for Rachel's news. She was so happy she looked about to explode.

"I'm glad you're all here, I have an announcement," Rachel said, holding Charlie's hand. Oh, I knew what this announcement was. "Charlie and I are getting married!" Yes, I was right.

Mrs. Johnson looked so delighted that one of her daughters was getting married that she wanted to run and skip and do all those girly activities. Instead, she calmly got up, hugged them both and began to give her daughter advice about marriage. I wasn't really paying attention. When I looked over at Mr. Johnson, he was staring at Beth and me with a small smile. I turned to look at Beth, but she didn't look back at me like she usually does. Instead, she was glaring at Rachel and Charlie. Even when I nudged her, she wouldn't look at me.

"Beth," I whispered. Nothing. I looked over at her pa and saw no traces of puzzlement in his eyes over Beth's behavior. Suddenly she stood up and walked outside without congratulating her sister. Her pa was about to follow her, but I got up first and told him I'd take care of it.

"No, William, I need to talk to her, I know what she's upset about," her pa said, following her outside. I walked over to stand in the doorway as I watched Mr. Johnson walk over to his daughter where she stood against the barn wall. I watched as he took her into his arms and whisper into her ear, trying to control her sobs. It was the first time I'd seen her act so weak. It was almost a role reversal for us, and I realized that I'd always relied on her strength, but never questioned the idea that she might not be as strong as I'd originally thought.

I mean, I have seen her cry before, but this was the first time that there was no real reason for it except her sister getting married and I thought this would make her happy because Rachel wouldn't be on her back all the time. Plus, I'd never seen her cry so hard.

I know people behind me kept talking as if nothing had happened, but I wasn't paying attention to them, only to Beth and her Pa. Eventually she stopped sobbing, pulled away from Mr. Johnson and wiped her eyes. He said something and she laughed a little, then she looked over to the doorway, to me. I know she saw me, but without acknowledging my presence, she turned back to her pa, nodding. He patted her on the shoulder and then began walking back to me slowly. When he got up onto the porch he stopped, put his hands in his pockets and sighed.

"She'll be okay, she's waiting for you," he said, glancing behind him at his daughter one last time before walking past me, back into the celebrating house. I walked out towards her and stopped a few feet away; she had her back to me. I don't know why, but seeing her like this stopped me from approaching her. In fact, I don't think she cried over Richard, she was sad, sure but no tears. So seeing her cry over apparently nothing was disturbing.

"Beth?" I said, hesitantly.

"I'm sorry," she responded without turning around to face me. "It was stupid, really, I shouldn't have lost control like that. It wasn't right for me to cry like I…"

"Stop, Beth," I cut her off. "You don't need to make excuses; you don't have to be strong all the time."

"But your pa just died, Will," she said, turning around to face me. Her cheeks were streaked with tears. "My problem is nothing compared to what you've been going through." She started to sob again. This time my instincts took over and I hugged her as her pa had minutes before.

"What is it? Nothing doesn't make you cry. I've never seen you like this before, what's wrong?" She tried to push me away.

"Maybe I wouldn't have let you see me cry if I new this is how you'd act."

"Beth…"

"Its just Rachel. And Richard. I know he died over two years ago, but it's something he once said, the proposal just reminded me of him." I waited for her to tell me. After about a minute, I pulled away and looked down at her.

"He once had this argument with Rachel. Charlie had always been in the back of Rachel's mind. I had a feeling she would marry him one day, I just didn't expect it so soon. When Richard and I were in school one day, Charlie came over and began mocking my sisters and me for being so weird. He didn't like me being such a tomboy, Susan for being so meek, and Rachel for being so obsessed with him. Richard stood up for us and Charlie beat him up before the teacher stopped him. Later, Richard told Rachel what had happened because she wasn't at school that day, but she denied it could ever happen and Richard never forgave her. The next week was when he'd had his coughing fit and was never completely well again. Now she's marrying him and its as if Richard never even existed to her. She probably doesn't even remember the fight or anything we told her about Charlie, now…its too late."

"She's not worth it, Beth, and neither is Charlie. Soon she'll be out of your hair and you won't have to deal with either of them, except maybe holidays and nobody ever likes their family around those days anyway." She smiled without looking up at me, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. I kissed the top of her head, and then led her back toward the house. I pulled her handkerchief out of my pocket, I hadn't given it back to her after that day in her barn and I figured she needed it back now. She wiped her eyes and face before putting a fake smile on her face and walked back into the house. Rachel acted as if nothing had happened and Charlie glared at Beth. I stepped up behind her and gave him a warning glance, he may be four years older, but I could hold my own, especially since the whole Ben Wade experience. After a while, Charlie made his excuses to leave, especially since he had to tell his family of his engagement tonight. I followed him out. As soon as we were out of earshot of the house, I stopped him.

"You hurt her, and I'll kill you."

"Who, Rachel?"

"No, Beth, you bastard. I know what you said about her and her sisters, what you did to her brother. Try anything again and you won't make it down the aisle at your own wedding." He didn't say anything, only glared at me before pulling his arm out of my grasp, getting on his horse and riding away.

I walked back inside, made my excuses to leave, and then pulled Beth outside with me. As soon as we got to my horse, I asked her to help me saddle him, through I knew I could do it by myself, I wanted to talk to her and make sure she was okay.

"If he says or does anything to you, tell me right away," I told her, still bridling my horse.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah, Charlie. How're you doing now?"

"Better. Not sure I'll be fine forever, especially around the wedding. Ma's ecstatic, she'll be talking about this all the time and telling me to take after my sister and find someone nice to take care of me and stop my wild antics." She was just standing there with her arms wrapped around herself and looking so vulnerable I had to hug her.

"I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow. I'm not sure when or where, but I'll make time." I got onto my horse and rode off. When I looked back I could see her standing where I left her and her pa in the doorway behind her.

"I can't believe she didn't tell me!" The next day I was ranting to Ma about Beth not trusting me enough to tell me about what Charlie had said to her and her brother.

"Who didn't tell you what?" I turned around quickly to see the object of our conversation standing in the doorway with a basket in her hand. "Ma asked me to bring this loaf of bread over and to invite your family to Rachel's wedding on Saturday."

"So soon? They were just engaged yesterday!" I said in disbelief.

"She really wanted to marry him fast. Now whom were you talking about when I walked up?"

"Uh…Susan."

"My sister?"

"Yes, she has a secret. She likes someone. She likes Mark!" I said, making it up off the top of my head.

"I'll take the bread, thank your ma for me," Ma said walking over to accept Beth's basket.

"No, she does not. You are such a liar, William Evans," she said, pushing her bonnet of her head and taking her gloves off. We talked for a while before she said she had to go, but we weren't done talking, so I asked Ma if I could accompany her a she distributed wedding news. I didn't know why Rachel wasn't announcing it herself, but at least it gave us time to talk. When we finally returned home after about two hours, Beth stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you, Will. I probably would have gone crazy without you there with me today." And just like that, she left, heading off over the Arizona plains to her own home. I don't know how long I stood there watching her walk away, but when Mark opened the door, Beth was not visible anymore.

"Will, Ma says dinner is ready."

"Tell her I'll be in in a minute." Instead, Ma came out and brushed a hair behind my ear.

"Do something about it," I just looked at her startled. "Tell her, she isn't going to wait around forever for you."

"I can't. No one can do anything for three years, remember, so what's the point?" Ma just looked at me for a while before turning me around and walking me inside for dinner.


	6. The Wedding

CH 6 - The Wedding

Life at home was so hectic in the days approaching Rachel's wedding. John and Pa were lucky, as men, they didn't have to help. Rachel needed everything to be perfect, especially attendance. Practically all of Bisbee and the surrounding area was invited and lucky me had to go door-to-door, ranch to ranch to invite them.

Finally the day of the wedding came, and I was so excited to be rid of her. She's made my life a living hell for years, you can't blame me for wanting to be rid of her. She was a beautiful bride, of course, and Will was there to help me through it without screaming. After the ceremony there was a small celebration; food, music, dancing. Usually I loved to hear Pa's fiddle, but it seemed so out of place, I couldn't take it. Will and I ran off to go sit under a tree again and just talk. Soon though, it got dark, so we headed back just in time to see Rachel and Charlie off. They were to live at the McDonald ranch for now until they could get one of their own.

After that, life took to a certain path. Will and Mark would herd cattle while I did chores at home. After lunch the Evans boys worked on the barn, and I would either help Mrs. Evans or do more chores for Ma. After that, Will and I would talk and have dinner at either house. Life went on like this for a while, then about three months after the wedding, John had exciting news for us. He'd been accepted at Boston College where he would go to become a doctor. He left us on the train from Contention about a week later; we weren't sure if we would ever see him again.

With John gone, it became harder and harder for Will and I to see each other regularly. With only two of us kids now, all the chores went to us. I was just about going mad, living there and never seeing the outside world, away from our ranch. Susan is, well, Susan is meek and though she may be better than Rachel, she isn't much fun to talk to. Within the next seven months I was allowed out only once, Will's birthday, so I could go celebrate with them. Besides that day I saw him only about five times, including my own fifteenth birthday about two-and-a-half months after Will's. Then finally, one day it was like a miracle had descended upon us. I was feeding the chickens when Ma walked up behind me.

"You should go visit the Evans' today." I stopped what I was doing and turned around to search her face and make sure she wasn't kidding.

"But, Ma, I have chores"

"Susan and I will take care of them, go on," she told me, grabbing the bucket of seed out of my hands.

"Wait, Ma…"

"Don't argue with me, Elizabeth."

"Yes, mamm. May I ask one question? Why are you letting me go? Especially now, after five months confinement."

"You looked so sad out here, and every day, really. I recon you needed a break."

"Thank you, Ma," I said, hugging her then running off to the barn to ready my horse.

"Be careful!" she called after me as I made my way off the ranch.

Oh freedom, sweet freedom, I've missed you so. I hadn't been allowed to go riding. I missed the wind in my hair and the speed at which we moved over the land. About halfway there I pulled my ribbon out of my braid and tied my hair back into a half-ponytail. It still kept my hair out of my face, but I could feel the wind in it better. Plus, Will said he liked it down, so I decided to do it for him.

When I got to the house, he wasn't there. In fact, nobody was there. I started worrying about what had happened to them all when Mrs. Evans walked into the yard. Instead of her bonnet being on her head though, she was swinging it back it's straps. She looked more at peace than I'd seen her in a long time.

"Good morning, Mrs. Evans," I called from the porch.

"Oh, good morning, Elizabeth. What brings you here?"

"Well, Ma gave me the day to do whatever I wanted, so I decided to come visit Will, but he's not here."

"He and Mark are out with the cattle, they should be back by lunch. I have to go into Bisbee to get some items though, if you'd like to come."

I said I did, and after retrieving some money, we set off toward town. The trip was rather uneventful until we went to see the new doctor. Mrs. Evans' wrist had been bothering her so she wanted the doctor to look at it, but when we got there, someone was already on his table and giving birth by the sound of it.

When we got closer, we saw that it was (Emma), the barmaid, but there wasn't anyone else beside the doctor, no sign of a father. I didn't even know she was pregnant, but then again, I never go into the Saloon and I hadn't been off the ranch in a while either.

Mrs. Evans, being her usual helpful self rushed over to see if the doctor needed any help. We both ended up holding (Emma's) hands until the very end when the baby came. Grabbing a towel, I wrapped the baby up after the doctor made sure she was breathing. And that's when it went downhill. (Emma) hadn't stopped bleeding. In fact, it was probably getting worse. But there was nothing the doctor could do to stop the bleeding, (Emma) was going and I was left there, holding her baby girl.

"Promise me, she'll have a home. Promise me she'll be safe," she said, her breathing ragged.

"I promise," I said quickly, without thinking.

And just like that, she was gone. It was as if she had been holding on just long enough to make sure that her baby wasn't going to be left in this world alone.

This morning, I started for the Evans' ranch and now I was coming home with a baby. Oh, Ma's not going to like this.


	7. Meet the Baby

CH 7 - Meet the Baby

When Mrs. Evans and I returned to her ranch with the new baby girl, Will and Mark were already there.

"Beth!" Will called out, running over to meet us.

"Shh…" his mom scolded. "We just got her to sleep."

"Will, I want you to meet the new addition to the family," I said, leaning over the horse to show him.

"What?" He was very confused. "How did you…"

"We'll explain in a minute, just hold her while I get down, would you?"

He looked a little tentative, but took her from me anyway. After a few moments, he relaxed and smiled down at her.

"She's cute. What's her name?"

"Well, we haven't decided yet."

"Let's get her inside you two," Mrs. Evans scolded us, marching Mark in ahead of her as well.

"So…" Will promted as he sat down at the table with her still in his arms. Starting from me getting a free day all the way to the ride home, I told him and Mark the story.

"The sheriff said the judge would be by to make everything legal, but he wasn't sure when he was due in, so she'll stay with us in the meantime."

"By us you mean…"

"Your ma and I. We agreed that I'd be her ma and she'd be her grandma."

"What am I then?" Mark chimed in suddenly. He was too enthralled by the new baby.

"I was thinking Uncle Mark. Does that sound good?" He nodded eagerly and smiled down at the baby.

"Can I hold her?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied as Will reluctantly handed her over to his little brother. Almost immediately she woke up and began to wail, but before Mrs. Evans or I could reach her, Will had her again and stopped crying.

"She must like you," I told Will, peaking over his shoulder down at the baby.

"Yeah," he agreed, absently. "So what is her name?"

"I like the name Bridget," I said, looking up at Will.

"I like the name Sarah," he said, meeting my gaze almost in a challenge.

"Compromise," Mrs. Evans said from behind us. "Sarah Bridget."

"I like it," I said as Will nodded in agreement.

"Sarah Bridget Evans," Will said, looking down at her again. "But we can call her Bridget."

"Evans?"

"Yes, Evans."

"Who said her last name was Evans? Mine is Johnson."

"Yes, but your name will change when you get married."

"And?"

"And you're the ma and the name must be from the father's side of the family. So if my ma is the grandma also, she must be from the father's side of the famly. Then her last name must be Evans."

"But she doesn't have a pa, Will."

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"I thought I'd be her pa."

"Will…"

"She's the granddaughter of my ma and my only brother, my only sibling, is the uncle, making me Pa. Everyone needs a pa."

I didn't know what to say. Mentioning the fact that he didn't have one seemed cruel, but I couldn't think of anything else in that moment.

"What if I get married to someone else? He'll want to be her pa too."

"Too bad, I was here first."

"You are being so childish about this, Will…" In that moment, I was cut off by Bridget's screams.

"You two, stop your bickering, you're making her cry," Mrs. Evans scolded us, taking Bridget out of Will's arms and giving her to Mark so he could finally hold her.

We were both silent for a moment as I thought about it, then I gave in to his pleading looks.

"Fine, you can be her pa. But you have to explain your logic to my parents. Your ma already agreed to tell Ma the story of why I now have a baby as an unmarried young woman. Especially sine it's before even Rachel is pregnant."

"Where is she sleeping?"

"Here. Your ma said she could have the trundle under her bed."

"I can't believe it's possible to love someone so much when you've known them for five minutes."

I just smiled at him. He and Mark were being so sweet with Bridget. I knew Mark would make a great uncle and that Will would be a wonderful Pa as well. But under the happiness and love surrounding Will, I could see his mind thinking real hard about something.

Some time later, after we'd gotten Bridget to sleep on the trundle with a bunch of blankets surrounding her to prevent her from rolling off, Will and I headed outside and sat on the porch, watching as the first stars began to appear overhead.

"What were you thinking about when you first held Bridget?"

"Hmm?" he asked, apparently lost in thought again. "When I first held Bridget?"

"Yes, you looked like you were thinking very hard about something important."

"I was thinking about our future…my future," he corrected himself.

"Our future?" He wasn't getting off that easily, I'd heard him.

"Yeah," he said resigned. "You, me and Bridget."

"I was afraid of that. This is why I wanted you to be uncle as well."

"What?" he sounded surprised.

"In a few years we'll both marry and what will happen to Bridget then? Will she call your wife Ma as well? And how do you explain it when people think I had a child at fifteen out of wedlock with you, I mean there are already enough rumors going around."

"One question at a time," he said, putting his arm around my shoulder and drawing me nearer to him. "First, not exactly what I was thinking about. I was looking forward to raising our daughter, not worrying about the future. Second, if we do both get married separately we'll have to stay near each other, you're not getting away that easily, you're my best friend, I need you."

"If?" I asked, skeptically. Was he saying no one would marry me or that no one would marry him or maybe something else entirely? Was he saying he would marry me?

"Don't interrupt!" he scolded, jokingly. "As I was saying, thirdly, you explain she was adopted. Out of the kindness of your heart you took this child in when no one was there for her. None of us are actually related other than legally, or it will be legal as soon as the judge arrives. And last, but certainly not least, no one will ever replace you as Bridget's ma."

I was so surprised to hear him say the last part that I jerked my head up fast, narrowly missing his chin. He was staring down at me, smiling. His answer was perfect and he knew it. I smiled back.

"Why William Evans, I do believe you've gone soft. Did it really only take a baby girl to do this to you?" I teased him. "But really, thank you, Will."

"Anytime," he told me as I laid my head on his shoulder, staring up at the night sky.


	8. Meet the Parents

CH 8 – Meet the Parents

We didn't go that night to tell my parents about Bridget, but Mrs. Evans and Will agreed to bring her over to our ranch the next day to break the news to my parents.

"You what?"

"She's so cute!"

"And Will's the father?"

These were the replies from Ma, Susan, and Pa respectively. Susan was always a sucker for babies.

"No, Pa. Will's not the father, but legally he will be her pa as I am her ma when the judge comes to town," I explained.

"Taking on a baby is a lot of responsibility, young lady."

"I know, Pa, but I can do it! I always end up taking care of the kids when relatives come over to visit."

"Babysitting and parenting are very different."

"Henry, I am also taking care of Bridget and I have raised two sons already," Mrs. Evans chimed in.

"As what, her second mother?" Ma snapped. I knew she wasn't going to take this news well.

"Grandmother, actually. Besides, I have always wanted a girl and without Dan I feel the need to help this child who has no one else in the world."

"Then don't bring my daughter into it," Ma said, still angry.

"She didn't, Ma! I volunteered and she backed me up. She agreed to help me when the sheriff thought I was too young."

"And William? Why him?"

"With all due respect, Mr. Johnson, I requested to be her pa. I'd do anything for that child and to help Beth. Beth loves helping people, she always has, even before Richard died, but especially since. She visited us everyday after Pa's death because she wanted to help us, not just because I'm her best friend. And if another child was all alone and Beth wanted to help, I'd always be there, beside her."

There was a few moments of silence where Will and Pa were exchanging knowing glances before Pa nodded and Will relaxed.

"Alright, I'm fine with Elizabeth and William raising Bridget with Mrs. Evans' help, of course. But only if I am Grandpa Henry."

I laughed and threw my arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Pa. You won't regret this decision, I promised."

Ma still seemed a little put-out, but I chose not to notice as I ran over and picked up Bridget from Mrs. Evans' arms.

"Did you hear that? Grandpa Henry is okay with you being here."

I took her over to show Pa his new granddaughter.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Of course," Pa said, taking her from my arms, and just as Will had, I saw this big, strict man turn into a gibberish-talking softie in front of my eyes.

Ma still wasn't swayed.

"Elizabeth Johnson, I send you out to visit your friend and you repay me by coming home with a baby! Do you know what gossip will go around, like there isn't enough gossip about you and William anyway?"

"Jane, if she wants to save the entire world single-handedly, we should not try and stand in her way," Pa said, walking over to her, still holding Bridget. "Now, do you want to hold your granddaughter or not?"

Ma sat there thinking about it for a moment, but she finally gave in and reached out her arms for the baby. I could see her face light up and I knew she'd accepted Bridget into our family.


	9. Life Goes On

CH 9 – Life Goes On

Bridget had to be the cutest baby in the world. There was no other explanation for why I'd loved her so soon after Beth first handed her to me.

With a new baby to take care of, Beth came every day without fail, doing odd and end things around the house. We lived this way for months. Sometimes she'd take Bridget to see her parents, but mostly they stayed on the ranch or went to Bisbee for goods.

Then at night Beth and I would put Bridget down to sleep and once she was asleep, Beth would leave. There were a few times though that she would fall asleep with Bridget, so instead of waking her, I would cover her with a blanked and let her sleep. Her parents scolded her for this at first, but after the first two times, they resigned to the fact that the only thing happening when she didn't come home was that she'd fallen asleep with the baby. Whenever she did that, the next day Beth would bring Bridget to see her other grandparents.

Those days, the days she fell asleep, they were my favorite days. I always knew she'd be there in the morning, when I woke up on those days. Also, she always looked so at peace that when it happened, I loved to stay in the room and watch her and Bridget.

Despite all the rumors going around, Beth stayed a great person and a wonderful ma. Every Sunday was church. Without fail, Beth would come get Bridget all dressed in her best clothes and we'd go to church. Beth never seemed to do anything wrong anymore. Even her parents noticed the change in her and so her ma approved even more of Bridget.

Rachel was extremely angry when she found out that Beth had had a baby before she had, especially since she found out that their ma approved. Then two days later, she herself was pregnant and Rachel wasn't so angry anymore. Then after her baby was born, Rachel gloated that hers was a boy, better to help out around the ranch. Beth pointed out that Bridget didn't actually come from her, so she had no control over the gender and that while Rachel wanted a baby so as to feel good about herself, Beth selflessly took in a baby girl who had no one left in the world. Rachel stomped away in a huff about the last part. Can't say I blame her, she was pretty much called selfish by her own sister, after all, but I thought it was funny, nonetheless.

With every day I thought more and more about the future, about what would happen to Bridget, Beth and me. What if someone came along and stole Beth from right in front of me and took Bridget away too. I started worrying daily. I found myself doing more to stay inside with Beth and Bridget or accompanying them on the trips to the Johnson's ranch. If Beth noticed, she didn't say anything.

Life continued on like this for about four years. John was still in Boston, Rachel had had another boy in that time, Susan was as meek as ever and Mrs. Johnson was actively looking for suitable husbands for both Susan and Beth. Mr. Johnson was not too happy about his wife's adamancy of marrying them both off, but said very little to dissuade her.

If you're wondering, on Beth's 18th birthday, I asked Mr. Johnson again for his daughter's hand in marriage. But like when I was fourteen, he said no. My life wasn't planned out, and despite my feelings, he wasn't going to allow his daughter to marry into an uncertain future. As far as I know, no one else has asked, which is good for me because then I have more time to decide what I wanted to do, other than cattle ranching.

Then one day, while Beth was at her parent's ranch, my future opened up before me. I had gone into town to get supplies for Ma when I met Mr. Butterfield, whom I had not seen since they finished the railroad in Bisbee about six months after Pa's death. At first, Mr. Butterfield didn't recognize me, but once he did we were chatting like old friends.

"So, how's that girl of yours?" he asked me.

"Beth?" I said, surprised he remembered her, back then I was sure no one else knew of how I felt about her, but Mr. Butterfield hadn't been convinced by my best friend act.

"She's good. Oh, we have a daughter, she just turned four."

"Oh, so you're married now?"

"No," I said, disappointed I hadn't found any other line of work. "Bridget isn't ours she's Emma, the old bartender's, daughter. Emma died during childbirth and Beth wanted to help the motherless baby girl. Beth's pa won't let me marry her until I find a good idea of my future. I just can't justify being a cattle rancher all my life, I saw what it did to Pa, to my family. The only problem is, I didn't exactly have good schooling. Mark and I have been working cattle since we could ride a horse. That didn't leave much time to go to school."

"You say you need work?" he clarified.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I've seen you shoot and ride. You're pretty damn good. I could see if I could pull some strings. I know the sheriff is getting old and wants to retire soon, maybe we could get you appointed."

"But what about schooling? I mean, I can read, sure, Ma taught me. But my arithmetic and writing ain't so good."

Mr. Butterfield pondered this one for a while before a slow smile spread across his face.

"Contention always needs new deputies and I know a teacher there who could educate you when you aren't working. With doing both at the same time, it could take up to about a year and a half, but after you could come back to Bisbee and marry that girl."

His plan was so brilliant, I wanted to kiss him. This was exactly the future I could use to justify my life and how I'd take care of Beth and Bridget. Her Pa'd have to approve that. Mr. Butterfield quickly checked with the sheriff, then after approval, I bought what I needed and rode as fast as I could to the Johnson's ranch.

I was off my horse and on the porch, knocking on the door, faster than a bullet. It was Susan who answered.

"Elizabeth's in the barn," she told me before I could say anything.

"Actually, I need to see your pa. Do you know where he is?"

"Out with the cattle."

"Thank you," I said as I jumped off the porch and remounted my horse. Just as I was about to ride off to find Mr. Johnson, Beth came out of the barn with a bucket of milk in one hand and leading Bridget with the other.

"Will?" she asked, surprised.

Instead of replying, I just tipped my hat at them, smiled, and rode off to find her pa. I found him not too far away, watching his cattle graze.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson," I called, slowing my horse so as not to frighten the cattle.

"Afternoon, William. Elizabeth and Bridget are at the ranch."

"I know. I saw them. I came to talk to you, to ask you, once again, for Beth's hand in marriage."

"Do you have a plan now?"

"Yes, sir. It will take me about a year and a half to reach my goal, but it is a good, stable path. One I want to take with Beth by my side."

"Alright, tell me about it," he said, sitting back in his saddle.  
I told him everything Mr. Butterfield and I had planned and then included an explanation about living in town so as to be on site as a sheriff. Mr. Johnson sat there contemplating for a long time before finally he nodded his head and smiled.

"I think you've finally found your path, son," he said, tipping his hat to me and herding the cattle closer in toward his house.

"Thank you, sir!" I called after him. I wanted to jump and dance and scream. He'd said yes! I could finally marry Beth and make our makeshift family into a real one. But before I do, I had to come up with a wonderful proposal that wouldn't let her say no.

I decided to go home and ask Ma and Mark what they thought, but as soon as I came upt o the house, I saw another horse. One I recognized as Mr. Butterfield's. Shit! I should've told Ma first. I'd just gotten so excited over my life plan and marrying Beth, I'd forgotten.

As soon as I opened the front door, I was engulfed in a hug. Ma was holding me so tight, I was having trouble breathing.

"You're going to Contention?"

"Yes, Ma, for Beth."

"Why is Elizabeth in Contention?"

"No, I have to go to Contention to fulfill my life plan so that her pa will let me marry her. He said yes, by the way." This comment only led to a tighter hug.

"You're getting married and leaving all in one day! Well, you better go pack. Dinner will be ready soon. Your last meal at home for a long time."

I could tell Ma was getting teary eyed; she let me go and turned toward the kitchen.

"What do you mean, pack?"

"The train leaves early tomorrow, son. They're expecting you in Contention," Mr. Butterfield chimed in.

I couldn't believe it, all in one day I had gained hope of marriage and then lost all opportunity to ask her. Suddenly I felt a tug on my pants leg and I looked down to find Bridget. Beth must have dropped her off earlier because Beth was nowhere to be found. I leaned over and picked up my daughter.

"Pa, are you leaving?"

"I have to, my little Honey Bee. Pa is going to find a job."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Of course, I'll be back before you know it, and when I do, you will have so much to show me, I know it."

"Okay, Pa. I'll miss you," she said, kissing me on the cheek.

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart," I put her down and she ran off to go play with her doll.

"What about Beth, I thought you said you were going to marry her?" asked Mark.

"I don't have time now, but I will ask her as soon as I get the chance."

The rest of the night went fine. I packed what I would need; clothes, pistol, etc. Then we all (Butterfield included) sat down for dinner. After that, I put Bridget to sleep one last time and got ready for bed myself.

Once everything was settled, I sat up, pulled on my shoes and a shirt and looked over to see Mark watching me.

"Will!" he whispered harshly.

"Shh…I have to tell Beth 'good-bye' now. I leave too early tomorrow morning." Then I climbed through the window and jumped to the ground. Looking back inside at Mark still staring at me, I remembered the last time I'd done this, to go help Pa, and I couldn't help but think that this time I was the pa, I was needed by a family, and I sent up a silent prayer that I would come back alive.


	10. Late Night Chats

Late Night Chats

I was startled awake by a tapping sound on the window. When I saw Will's face, I checked to make sure Susan was still asleep before I grabbed a quilt and opened my window.

"Will! What are you doing here?" I asked, shoving the quilt through the window for him to catch.

"We need to talk."

"I know, I know, I'm coming," I said, climbing through the window and landing gracefully in the dirt. It was only then that I realized I'd forgotten shows. I grabbed the quilt from Will and wrapped it around myself to keep the chill out.

"How'd you do that?" he asked, pointing at the window.

"Richard and I used to sneak out all the time when we were too awake to sleep."

Will led me away from the window before speaking again.

"Where were you tonight? I thought you'd be at dinner or there to put Bridget to sleep." He sounded almost angry; as if I'd done it just so he's have to put her to bed himself.

"I told you earlier, Rachel and her family came to dinner with more news, another baby, by the way. Ma and Pa made me stay for dinner here tonight. Were you really so worried about this that you had to come wake me up? Why couldn't this have waited until tomorrow morning?"

"Because I'm leaving and by tomorrow morning I'll be gone."

I didn't say anything at first. I just stared at him for a long time before he got so uncomfortable that he started squirming.

"Say something, Beth!"

"I can't believe you'd do this to your family, especially after you promised me that you wouldn't."

"What are…," he started.

"No, Will! We already talked about this. Dodge City is not all it's cracked up to be. I thought you'd forgotten all about this crazy idea of yours. Well, let me tell you, William Evans, if you leave this town, don't expect Bridget or me to be here when you get back."

I pulled the quilt tighter around my shoulders and turned back toward the house, absolutely fuming.

"Beth! I'm not going to Dodge City!" he said, grabbing my elbow before I could flee. "I'm going to Contention."

"What's in Contention? And if you say 'Ben Wade', I swear to God, Will…"

"A job! A job is in Contention. And education. This is my ticket off the ranch, Beth, a chance to do something else with my life. Granted, it will take about a year and a half, but it's definitely worth it."

For a minute it looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't.

"A year and a half?" I asked, stepping closer to him. "Will I…we ever see you during that time?"

"I'm not sure. I'll be a deputy up there. Not sure I get many days off. But after, I am coming home and taking over for Sheriff Collins."

"You're going to be sheriff! That's great!" I said, a little too loudly, forgetting that everyone was asleep and I wasn't supposed to be outside in the middle of the night with Will. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. After all, this might be the last time I would get to see him in for a year and a half. He hugged me back and whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, it's going to be great. I have to go though before Ma finds out I'm gone."

"Yeah, I should get inside too before Susan wakes up and finds me missing."

There was a moment of silence where we both starred at each other before I said softly,

"I'll miss you, Will."

"I'll miss you too, Beth, more than you know."

He hugged me one more time and as he pulled away, I kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Sheriff Evans," I said, jokingly.

"Night, Beth," he said, smiling sadly at me before turning and heading off toward his house.


	11. Separation

Ch 11 – Separation

At first it wasn't too bad, Bridget was there to help me along without my best friend, but there's only so much you can tell to a four year old. I missed Will something awful. It was as bad as it had been when he's gone to Contention the first time. The only thing getting me through the day though, was knowing that this time, Will would be home soon.

Mark, for all his wonderful qualities, soon found himself in love with a girl on a neighboring ranch and set about to woo her, so he was no help to talk to. He made a bad fill-in Will. Mrs. Evans was always there, but there are some things you want to talk about only to your best friend.

I know it sounds bad, but a part of me hoped he was missing me just as much. And, what made matters worse, I was apparently not the only one who noticed Will's absence. It was like as soon as he left, it was okay for men to try and win over my heart. Some proposed, others, the smarter ones, realized I wasn't returning the affection and so stopped coming over to see me. But worst of all is that they would come find me, not only at my house, but also at the Evans', with Bridget right there!

With the sudden flow of men, the extra work to raise a child alone and to try and help Mark with the cattle while also doing chores for Ma, I was slowly going insane. I didn't think anyone had noticed either, until Mrs. Evans came up and told me to stop working so hard because I looked like I was about to pass out, which honestly, seemed like a great idea at the time.

After a few days of rest when it didn't look like I was getting any better, Mrs. Evans decided to put me and Bridget on the train to Contention so that I could see Will and get better. Of course, by this time I hadn't seen him in eleven months and I had changed dramatically.

I started wearing longer dresses and skirts as my mother told me that I was of the age where showing my ankles wasn't proper. Also, instead of braiding my hair, I'd found that a bun was more freeing so I could work without my hair getting in my way. I wasn't sure he'd recognize me.

After getting off the train in Contention, I decided we should check in to the hotel first and then go find Will. Once we were settled and then had asked where the sheriff's office was, Bridget and I walked down the street to a brown building between a saloon and a house.

First walking in, I noticed Will right away, hunched over some paper behind a desk to the right of the entrance, facing the door. He didn't notice our arrival, but a man whom I supposed to be the sheriff sure did.

He seemed to be about twenty-five with brown hair and brown eyes. He was quite handsome himself, actually. When he spotted Bridget and me, he stood up quickly and smiled brightly.

"May I help you, mam?"

"Yes, I would like to report a crime," I said, ridiculously happy even just to see Will.

"Of what nature?" I smiled and motioned to Will. He seemed to catch on."Deputy Evans, take this one, would you." It didn't appear to be a question.

"What's the nature of this crime?" Will asked, sounding bored, still hunched over his desk. Bridget and I hadn't moved since we stepped through the door and I don't think I could've if I'd tried.

"It's about a man who hasn't seen his best friend or his daughter in eleven months," I said nervously, waiting for his reaction. His head snapped up to look at us and I smiled brightly at him.

"Hello, Will," I said, softly.

"Beth! Bridget!" he exclaimed, standing up and pushing his chair back so fast I missed it. Suddenly he was right in front of us. He picked up Bridget, spinning her around before hugging me tightly.

"Oh, you've no idea how much I've missed you two."

Once he was there, once I saw him, I felt a hundred times better.

"Ahem," someone cleared his throat behind Will. "Deputy Evans, would you like to introduce me to your visitors?"

"Oh, right, sorry," Will said, pulling away. "Sheriff Finley, this is my best friend, Beth and our daughter, Bridget."

"Oh, so you're the ladies I have heard so much about. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," he said, kissing the back of Bridget's hand. She giggled.

"I'm not a lady, I'm just a girl!"

"You're just a girl!" he exclaimed, laughing. "Well, forgive me, you looked like a lady to me. And you, miss," he said, turning to me. "It is an honor to finally meet you. I've heard so much already from Evans here that I feel as if I already know you." He kissed the back of my hand too, and when I looked up, Will was glaring daggers at the back of his head. But why would that bother him so much?

"Have you had lunch yet, Beth?" Will asked, obviously trying to control his anger.

"No, not yet."

"I'll take you. How long are you in town?"

"Two days, we leave Thursday morning."

"Alright then, we will have to make the best of our time." He grabbed his hat, picked up Bridget, and then, placing a guiding hand on the small of my back, pushing me toward the door.

"It was nice to meet you, sheriff," I called over my shoulder as I was pushed onto the street.

"Will!" I scolded as soon as we were out of the office.

"What, Beth?" he snapped.

"That was rude, you could have at least let me say good-bye properly."

"What, with a kiss?"

Now his hand was starting to clench the fabric of my coat as if I was about to run away.

"Of course not, Will. Have you really lost all of your faith in me in the past eleven months?"

The grip on my coat and the lines on his face softened.

"No, I just…want to make sure you are not going to get hurt."

"By the sheriff?" I said, laughing. There was a pause.

"You look different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"Good different. It suits you."

"Ma was worried you wouldn't like her the same now with her new clothes but I told her that whenever I have to get new clothes you still love me."

"I have missed you, my Honey-Bee," he said, kissing Bridget on the top of her head. "And of course I still love your Ma, nothing will ever change that."

There was a strange intensity in his eyes that made me blush and look away. He seemed different, I couldn't place my finger just on how he was different. Before I had time to think on it though, there was a shrill 'yoo-hoo' and a short blond woman walked gracefully up to Will.

"Deputy Evans, I'm glad I found you. I wanted to give you these muffins as a thank you. You know, they say my muffins are the best the west of the Mississippi!"

She looked to be about twenty-five, beautiful and probably had never worked a day in her life. She was obviously wealthy by the clothes she wore and she probably had a servant as well. In fact, her servant probably was the one who made the muffins. She was dressed in all black and had on a hard bonnet with a peacock feather sticking straight back.

"Oh, my, and who is this?" she asked of Bridget.

"I'm Bridget!" my naïve little daughter replied, she wasn't a shy child.

"This is my daughter," Will said, proudly.

"Oh and how old are you?"

"I'm five years old," Bridget said, holding up five fingers.

"And where is her ma, Deputy Evans? A girl needs a female influence on her life." Obviously she was either blind or ignoring me.

"I'm her ma," I said, stepping forward. "She already has multiple female influences. Thank you for your concern."

"Oh, I see," she said, haughtily before turning back to Will. "Why don't you and I have lunch together?"

"Actually, Mrs. Crawley, I am taking Bridget and Beth to lunch because they're only here for a few days."

"Well then, maybe some other time." And just like that she flounced across the street and disappeared into a house.

"She seems nice," I said, sarcastically.

"Yes, she is," Will replied. He wasn't being sarcastic.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this took so long, life's been hectic. Let me know what you think!


	12. Homecoming

Homecoming

The few days I had with Beth and Bridget came and went extremely quickly. It was great to see them, but it seemed everywhere we went, men were always paying too much attention to Beth. Once someone even proposed to her right in front of me! Granted, he was drunk, but e only voiced the opinions he would have not acted upon if sober. Of them all, Sheriff Finley was the worst.

Every time he saw her, without fail, he would flirt nonstop, complimenting her and winning Bridget over with sweets. Because of this, I almost proposed right there on the spot. But I didn't. I knew I had to wait until my year and a half was up. Seven months. Less than half left. I could hold off for that long. I just hoped she would.

Over the next seven months I did not see Beth again. We wrote to each other, she told me all about Bridget growing up. I almost didn't recognize Bridget the next time I saw her when she and Ma came to visit.

It was three months after Beth and Bridget had visited me. When I asked Ma about Beth, she just looked at me pityingly and said,

"She's fine, but she couldn't get away from chores again."

I didn't understand Ma's look at the time, but when I came home, it all became very clear.

Ma and Mark stayed home the day I got back because they were preparing for my arrival. So instead, Beth and Bridget came to pick me up. When I got off the train, there they were, looking for me in the crowd. Beth saw me first. When she did, she smiled, then, leaning down, she whispered something to Bridget and pointed at me.

Bridget's eyes searched for a second before finding mine, then took off at a run, straight toward me, shouting 'Pa! Pa!' I scooped her up in my arms after dropping my bags, and then kissed her cheek, hugging her tight to my chest.

"Oh, Honey-Bee, I missed you."

"I missed you too, Pa. More than you missed me, I bet."

"Oh, do you? Well, let's go see your Ma, okay?"

I put her down and she ran back to Beth. I picked up my bag, following. She was more beautiful than ever in her new clothes. Well, they were still new to me, though she'd been wearing them for at least seven months by now.

"Will," she said, before enveloping me in a hug. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Beth."

She pulled away and looked up at me. After studying me for a minute she sighed and said,

"You look different."

"Different?"

"You grew. You look taller."

"I'm not taller."

"Yes, you are!"

"Beth, how could I have grown, I stopped growing a long time ago."

"I don't know, but you did. I'm sure of it."

"Ma! Pa! Stop!" said Bridget, tugging on our legs.

"Sorry, Bee," I said, picking her up again.

"Come on, I have the wagon," Beth said, picking up the bag I'd dropped to carry Bridget.

As soon as we got the wagon all loaded up, Beth sat down and took the reins.

"Let me drive, Beth. You had to drive here."

"But you had a long train ride, I'm sure you're tired. Just relax."

"Well, you've had to drive this for the past year and a half. Let me."

"You haven't exactly been sitting down the whole time, either," she said, and before I could argue more, she whipped the horses on. So I took her advice and relaxed while she drove.

Bridget was really jumpy and telling me all these stories about life while I was gone, including a prairie fire at the ranch that almost burned down the house before the winds changed and blew it North instead. Beth and Ma didn't tell me about that.

"We didn't want to worry you," she told me before I could say anything to her. "Now, Bridget, let your Pa relax. He's had a long day and you can tell him your stories later."

"No, Beth, it's okay. I want to hear what you and Ma haven't been writing me." I was angry that they hadn't said anything.

"I'm sorry, Will, alright? We did it so you wouldn't try to come home early and ruin your chance at sheriff. Plus, nothing got burned, everything's still alright."

I tried to put my arm around her to tell her it was okay, I understand why they didn't tell me. I would have come home and ruined it. But instead, she moved away from me, out of reach for the moment, since Bridget was still on my lap. A few moments of silence passed between Beth and I with Bridget still yammering on when suddenly Bridget jumped off my lap and leaning over Beth's legs, called out to a man passing by on a horse. When she did, Beth stopped the wagon.

"Hello, Mr. Bennett!" Bridget called to him.

"Why, hello there, Bridget. I didn't recognize you; you look so grown up in your best Sunday clothes. Are those new?"

"Yup, we wore our special clothes today," she said, standing up and showing off her new dress.

"I did notice that your Ma looks very beautiful today, as always. Hello, Liz."

Beth blushed and looked down for a second before meeting the man's eyes again.

"Hello, Jacob."

"So, tell me, Liz. Why are you and your wonderful daughter so dressed up today? Last I checked it was only Wednesday."

The man kept talking to this 'Liz'. Who was he…? And then it dawned on me. Liz was another nickname for Elizabeth. He was calling her by a nickname. Her own pa wasn't even allowed to do that, only me.

"Bridget and I went down to the train station to pick up her pa, isn't that right, Bee?"

"Yes, this is my pa," she said, bounding back over and leaning against my leg.

"Jacob, this is my best friend, William Evans. Will, this is Jacob Bennett. He and his father bought the old Grady ranch."

"William Evans? Sorry, I thought you were your brother, Mark sitting there. It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard a lot from Liz here. Let's see if it's all true."

"Yeah," I said, nodding. I hadn't heard a thing about him. Another secret Ma and Beth had kept hidden from me? Why?

"Well, I getter get going before Pa wonders what happened to me," Jacob Bennett said, tipping his hat to us. "It was nice meeting you, Evans. Bye Bridget, Liz…"

I didn't like the way he said her name.

"Bye, Jacob."

"Bye, Mr. Bennett! Come over for dinner again, okay?"

There was a moment of awkward silence between Beth and me as she started the horses again. After about five minutes Beth looked at me quickly before turning back to the road.

"Well, say something. I know you aren't just going to sit there like that all day, so I'd rather get this over with now."

"Who is he?"

"Jacob Bennett, I told you. He and his father…"

"No, Beth," I said, cutting her off. "Who is he? Why has he been to dinner at my house? Why haven't I heard of him before and most importantly, what's your affiliation with him?"

"I didn't tell you because it's nothing."

"What does 'it' mean?"

"He proposed, alright?"

"He's in love with Ma," said Bridget. I'd almost forgotten she was there. "He wants to marry her, but then he said he couldn't."

"Couldn't?"

"Yup, he's in love with her, but he can't marry her until she figures out what she really wants or something like that."

"Bridget, hush," said Beth suddenly.

"What's she talking about? Did he revoke his proposal?"

"Yes, Will, he 'revoked' his proposal if that's how you want to put it."

"Why?"

"That's not important. Will you stop asking so many questions?"

"It is important, Beth. Why?"

"Why? Why do you have to know?"

"Because he's been around enough to influence my daughter and I need to know what's happening in her life."

"Why he revoked his proposal has nothing to do with her. It doesn't matter anyway. All that matters is we aren't getting married, alright?"

Just then we pulled up in front of my ranch and she handed the reins to me. She got out of the wagon, helped Bridget out and then turned back to face me.

"Welcome home, Will. Spend some time with Bridget, she's really missed you. Besides, that way, you can learn all about everything else I haven't told you." Then she turned around and started toward the barn, to get her horse, I supposed.

"Goddamnit, Beth, get back here and talk to me."

"Watch your mouth!" she snapped at me.

"Why? You never used to mind me swearing before. Did your precious little Jacob teach you the error of my ways?"

"No, Will," she said, turning back toward me. "It's because you have a daughter who looks up to you now and will copy and repeat everything you do and say and I don't want her swearing!"

Mark came out of the house and picked up Bridget. She hid her face in her uncle's shoulder.

"Uncle Mark, make them stop."

"You heard her," said Mark, angrily. "Honestly, you two, can't you be around each other for one day without fighting?"

"Maybe we could if William wasn't so arrogant and needy."

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe we could if Elizabeth wasn't such a whore in front of our daughter!"

As soon as I said those words, it went deathly quiet. I think even the cattle in the fields stopped making noise. Mark's mouth was wide enough to catch flies and Beth looked like she was about to cry. I heard a plate crash to the floor inside the house. Then it dawned on me what I'd said.

"Oh, no, Beth…That's not what I meant. You're not a…I don't think of you as…I was just…"

"No, Will. We all say what we truly think when we're angry. I'm sorry I've ruined your homecoming with my presence." And just like that, she ran into the barn to get her horse.

Ma came out and drug me down from the wagon. "What were you thinking? Do you know how much that girl cares about you? She begged her ma to let her come today. She did twice the amount of chores yesterday so that she could and she's been raising your daughter by herself for the past eighteen months! You probably just ruined it right there, I hope you know. And if you did, it's no less than what you've got coming to you with that attitude."

Beth came out of the barn, leading her hose and Mark let Bridget down to go say bye to her. She wouldn't even look at me.

A/N: Because I am a bum and haven't written in a year, I'm sorry. I actually have it all written now; it's just in a notebook instead of my computer. I'll try harder this time, I promise!


	13. Stupid Actions

Stupid Actions

That night, I couldn't sleep Bridget had been the only one to talk to me after Beth left, and I think that's only because she didn't understand really what I'd said to her ma.

At the first sign of the sky brightening, I got dressed and made my way to the Johnson Ranch. When I got there, Mr. Johnson was just going out to the barn. As I approached him, he stopped and gave me a look that told me he knew what had happened the night before.

"Mr. Johnson, let me explain…."

"William, I gave my permission and now…in all honesty, you're letting me down, son. I can't tell you that I am still considering you as a good match for my daughter. The only thing saving you right now is that I know you are a good kid, at least you were before you went to Contention, and I'm hoping that hasn't changed."

"No, sir, it hasn't. Let me explain, I was really jealous. I'd seen the way men acted around her when she visited me, but I had no idea that there were men here who might take her away from me. I had just met Jacob Bennett, and I realized that he is the only one in the world, besides me, who can call her by a nickname."

"Yes, he has been around for about eight months, and I gave him permission to propose seven months ago, right after she came back from Contention."

There was a moment of silence when he just looked at me as if debating with himself about telling me something.

"She told me about your lady-friend there. She was so heartbroken when she came home and Jacob seemed like a good match for her if you had changed your mind."

"What lady-friend? The only woman she met was Mrs. Crawley, and she just gave me some muffins."

"She's the one."

"No, she was just thanking me for catching the men who murdered her husband. That's more than I can say about what she's been doing with that Bennett fellow."

"Elizabeth and Jacob are only friends at this point. She went riding with him once and after that, nothing happened. You really need to think about everything before you talk to her again."

At this, Mr. Johnson started again towards the barn. At the entrance he stopped and turned to look at me again.

"Oh, and let me tell you a secret about women. It's not who calls them by nicknames that they love; it's who they call by a nickname that's the true recipient of their affections. Last time I checked, Mr. Bennett was still called Jacob."

And just like that, he walked into the barn, leaving me with my thoughts in the yard. My heart soared. She loves me! Or she did until last night. I had to make it up to her somehow. Maybe she'd talk to me if I brought Bridget over. I don't know; I had to go run it by Ma, see what she thought of this plan.

When I got home, everyone was up. Ma and Mark still hated me, by the looks of it, but I didn't care. Beth loved me. It was very quiet at the breakfast table, even Bridget wasn't her talkative self. Maybe she sensed the tension in the air. After a few minutes, I decided to offer up my newest bit of knowledge.

"She loves me; her pa practically told me so."

"Oh course she loves you, you're her best friend," Mark replied bitterly and for a moment I'd wondered what had happened to him in the eighteen months I'd been gone. Sure, he was taller, but there was something else about him too. Nonetheless, my heart sank at his words. Was that what her father meant?

"Did you apologize?"

"To Beth? No, Ma, I didn't see her."

"You're talking about Ma, aren't you?" Bridget chimed in. "I know what you're talking about because Ma and Grandma Alice talk about it all the time when you're not here."

"What? What do they talk about?"

"Feelings; how you feel, how Ma feels."  
"How do I feel, Bee?"

"You're in love with Ma but you are too scared to do or say anything about it."

"And your Ma?" I probed.

"She's in love with you too, but doesn't think she can hold on alone for much longer. I don't understand what that meant, she was holding on to anything at the time. And she has me with her, so she's not alone."

"Bridget, hush. What did I say about your ma and I's talks?"

"That they are private and should never be repeated," Bridget replied, immediately depressed.

I looked up and Ma winked at me. She could have stopped Bridget from saying anything, but she didn't. She wanted me to know how Beth felt. Maybe because I would apologize quicker, maybe to torment me because I couldn't hate her after last night. Whatever the reason, I knew I had to talk to Beth as soon as possible.

Mr. Johnson has told me to think and I had thought. Now all I had to do was to find the right words to say to her.

After breakfast, Mark said he has something to do and ran off, which left me to look after the cattle by myself. As I was just heading in, Jacob Bennett caught up to me and if looks could kill, I'd be dead five times over.

"Liz told me what you said."

"Oh great, and what, you're here to challenge me to a duel for her honor?" I couldn't help it, the guy made me angry.

"She cares so much about you. She's in love with you and you're so thick you can't see that. I revoked my proposal because I knew I would always be fighting for her affections if she didn't decide on her own time. I head the way she talked about you. It was obvious how she felt from the beginning."

"She likes you, too," I said, stunned.

"She cares about me, sure, but I could never have the same affect on her that you do. I couldn't get in the way of that unless you didn't love her back, but I saw the way you looked at her yesterday. I was going to tell you that I was backing down, but now I'm afraid she'll crumble if she has no one. You better make it up to her fast or else that year and a half in Contention will have been for naught."

"My year and a half…how did you know about that?"

"Your ma not so subtly told me to back off of Liz because you were working so hard for this, for her," he said, laughing at the memory. I could only imagine; my ma can be pretty intense if she needed to be. I was beginning to like this guy.

Soon we neared home and I saw a familiar horse in front of the barn.

"Beth?" I said aloud in wonderment. She looked up quickly to my face, and then got back to work putting her horse in a stall.

"I'm not here for you, don't worry. I'm here to check up on and spend a few hours with my daughter."

"Morning again, Liz," Jacob said, tipping his hat to her. She stopped and stared between us for a second, then mumbled a quick greeting and made her way quickly to the house.

When I got there, Bridget was hugging Beth's knees and Ma was just finishing up preparing lunch. Mark still wasn't back, but no one else seemed phased at all by this; there wasn't even a place set for him at the table. Beth took out another setting for Jacob after asking him to stay for lunch.

"Where's Mark?"

"At the Malone Ranch with Emily," Beth replied, not looking up from setting the table.

"How do you know this?"

"It's where he always is, or where he has been almost every waking hour for the past ten months."

"And who's Emily?"

"You remember, the little girl with the blonde ringlets? She and Susan used to be best friends when they were little."

"No, I know who Emily Malone is, but who is she to Mark? Why is she so important?"

"Didn't they tell you?" she asked, finally looking up at me. Her gaze flicked over to Ma, who shook her head, then Jacob, who just shrugged. "Emily and Mark are getting married next month; as soon as Emily turns seventeen."

There was a silence in the room as every eye was turned on me. I guess m mouth had been hanging open because Ma scolded that if I didn't close it, the flies would surely be making homes in there.

"My little brother, little Mark, is getting married? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I didn't feel it was my place to write in a letter and Mark wanted to tell you in person when you got home. Guess yesterday's events prevented that from happening," Beth said, rushing over to help put the food on the table.

"I'm going to be the flower girl," Bridget piped up from her chair at the table. I looked over at Beth and I could see she was hurting. This marriage thing must really be getting to her.

"Yes, Emily's taken quite a shine to Bridget here," Beth said, half-heartedly as she kissed her daughter on the top of the head. I decided to change the topic.

"So, how's Susan?"

"Fine, I think. I don't really know, can't see her too often anymore."

"What are you talking about, she lives with you."

"Not anymore. Susan was married five months ago." Her sisters were both married, my little brother was getting married in a month and here she thought I was in love with a widow in Contention. No wonder she's had a hard few months, all the people she's grown up with are settling down and she's twenty-one with no husband and a six year old daughter. I was digging myself deeper into a depressing hole I couldn't get out of; I had to win her back.

"So that's why you couldn't come see me, because you were the only one left to do any chores."

"Something like that," she replied, busying herself with loading up a plate for Bridget.

There was a pause before she spoke again, changing the subject.

"John came home. Well, not really home, he is living in town with his new wife. He just opened up a new doctor's office. He was very surprised to see Bridget when he got here, apparently he didn't get my letters in Boston. You should go visit him when you get the chance."

"Seems like everyone we know is getting married these days," I wondered aloud.

"Yeah," Beth replied glancing up at Jacob. There were a few moments of silence as we all ate, then I decided I was going to tell Beth how I felt right then and there.

"Beth, can I talk to you in private?"

"Why? Whatever other insults you have to throw at me can be said in front of your ma and Jacob. Maybe say a few that Bridget will understand so she'll change her opinion of you. That way leaving will be easier."

"No way are you leaving with my grandbaby," Ma chimed in. "We'll make William leave before you and Bridget do."

"I'm not going to insult…"

"Then what? What do you possibly have to say that is so important that I have to leave my meal so you can tell me? You sure it isn't 'you're such a slob, I can't believe I put up with you for all those years', or…"

"No," I said, astonished she'd even think such a thing.

"Or, 'wow, I see why no one will marry you'."

"What?...I…stop, Beth!"

"…or even…"

"I'm in love with you, okay? That's what's I wanted to tell you so badly." Everyone at the table was quiet, even Bridget. After a few moments, Beth stood up.

"Maybe we should talk in the other room."

I just nodded as she led me to Mark and I's room and sat down on the bed. We both sat there, waiting for the other person to say something.

"It's why I had to go to Contention," I offered quietly. "Your pa told me I had to plan out my life before he'd consent to you marrying me. I didn't want to be a cattle rancher all my life, so when Mr. Butterfield heard of my predicament, he set up my deputy-ship and schooling in Contention and for me to become Sheriff here. I'd planned on proposing before I left, but I was on the train the next morning. I wanted to make us a real family. You, me and Bridget."

"So this is about Bridget? Because, you know, no one could ever replace you as her pa, if that's what you're worried about," she said, looking me in the eye.

"Elizabeth Johnson, I have been in love with you since I first laid eyes on you so many years ago," I said, taking her hands in mine. "I wanted to be Bridget's pa so you couldn't get rid of me, especially since you weren't allowed to marry me for three years. I'd first asked your pa for your hand when we were fourteen, right after I'd gotten home from Contention. I figured I couldn't wait, because seeing my pa die made me realize how short life can be. Ma said it was for the better anyway that I couldn't marry you yet because she and Mark still really needed me at the time."

"Wait, so how many people knew?"

"Me, Ma, Mr. Butterfield, your pa, Mark, your ma, Rachel and Susan. I suppose Jacob Bennett knew as well…I'm so sorry, Beth, I didn't expect another man to be here when I got home. I mean, I always knew you had admirers, but Jacob almost took you without me knowing. Your father told me about how you thought I was with Mrs. Crawley. She was just thanking me because I'd arrested the men who murdered her husband. She was kind to me, we had something in common, both having lost loved ones to outlaw gangs."

"You see, Will!" she said, suddenly, pulling away from me. "I've said before, I can't know how that feels. It has never happened to me so there's no way I can compete with a bond like that."

"Beth, there is no competition. I would choose you over a thousand bonds like that any day."

There was a pause where Beth just stared at me until finally she turned toward the door.

"I should go…milk the cow," she said, disappearing through the door. This was not exactly how I'd imagined it would go.


	14. Repercussions

Repercussions

What was happening? First Will calls me a whore and then he says he's in love with me? Too much information to process in less than 24 hours; what could I do?

Milk the cow. That's safe. No harm in milking. Even if she was already milked, I could hide out a while in the barn with Bridget then maybe disappear if I hadn't figured anything out in about half an hour.

"Come on, Bridget," I called my daughter as I passed through the kitchen. I didn't dare look at Mrs. Evans or she'd make me talk about what had just happened.

When we got to the barn, I sat on the milking stool and pulled Bridget onto my lap.

"You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too, Ma," she said, leaning back against my shoulder. We sat that way for maybe five minutes before we heard a shout from outside.

"William Evans, get your sorry ass out here!"

"PA!"

All of a sudden, Bridget launched off my lap and ran toward the barn door before I could stop her.

"Bridget!" I called futilely as she sprinted out into the yard. I got up and ran to the door for support when I saw what was going on. Everything was moving so slowly.

There was a tall man with a dark beard and a cowboy hat sitting on a horse in the yard with a pistol pointed at my little girl as she stood frozen, six feet in front of him.

"Come out or your daughter is dead, Evans! Three…" the man said, beginning to count down.

I heard a loud scream and it took me a few moments to figure out that it was coming from my own throat. Then it was like everything returned to normal speed. Will and Jacob were standing a few feet away on the other side of the man, unfortunantly both were unarmed as they had taken off their pistols for lunch and had no time to run get them so as to save Bridget's life.

"Good, now your precious little daughter won't die. You killed my brothers, Evans, and now you will die because of it."

"Your brothers were scum. They killed hundreds of people and I'm glad I killed them."

"That's it! You insulted my brothers so your daughter dies first," he said turning back to Bridget.

"No!" screamed Jacob, picking up a large rock and hurtling it at the man's head. Before it could hit him, the mom turned his pistol on Jacob and pulled the trigger. Both men went down at the same time, the man dropping his pistol in the process.

"Jacob!" I screamed, my first instinct to go to him.

"No, Beth! Get Bridget inside the house!" Will ordered. I ran over and burying Bridget's head in my shoulder, I ran as fast as I could into the house. When I got there, I passed my crying daughter to Mrs. Evans.

"Where's Will's gun?"

"I…I don't know. He had it when he came in…" I couldn't stall any longer, I needed to help Will. I knew where Mrs. Evans kept Mr. Evan's old pistol, so I ran to the chest at the end of her bed and after checking to make sure it was loaded, I ran back into the kitchen.

When I got to the open doorway, I raised the gun, ready to shoot the man, but I was afraid I would hit Will in the process. They were wrestling with each other, blood gushing down from above the man's eye where the rock must have hit him. I walked forward, waiting for a good angle to take a shot, praying he wouldn't hurt Will, tears streaming down my face.

Finally there it was-an open shot. I put my finger on the trigger and heard three shots ring out across the yard. And it was as if in slow motion, the man slumped to his knees and fell into the dirt. My hand, still stretched out in front of me was shaking so badly, I thought it would fall off.

"Will?" I asked, softly. He turned, startled by my voice and then approached me cautiously, hands up in surrender.

"Beth, give me the gun, slowly."

"I can't…I can't take my hand away. I can't move. I didn't think I actually pulled the trigger. I…" I was getting hysterical. Will wrapped one arm around my waist while slowly prying my fingers off the gun with his other hand.

"Shh…it's okay," he whispered in my ear. "It will all be okay."

Just then we heard a moan from across the yard.

"Jacob!" I called before pulling away and running to his side. Kneeling down, I placed his head on my lap. He was still alive, but barely and he was still bleeding profusely from his stomach.

"Liz?"

"I'm here," I said, grabbing a hold of his hand. It was then that I noticed the gun in his other hand. "Did you shoot him?"

"I had to; he was going to hurt Bridget. I couldn't let that happen. I grabbed his gun and shot him before he could hurt anyone else. I'm sorry, it was wrong, one should never kill a man…thou shalt not…" His sentence was cut off by a gasp of pain.

"Shh…Jacob, it's okay. Thank you, you saved my daughter's life." I kissed his forehead.

"William?" he choked out and Will came to kneel next to him.

"Yeah, Jacob?"

"Take care of her, alright? And Bridget. Don't ever take their love for granted."

Will looked up at me cautiously, almost hopeful.

"I'll take care of them."

"I just closed my eyes and let the sobs come as I watched Jacob take his last shaky breath and then pass on right there in my lap. I bent down and kissed his forehead against before hugging his head.

"You can't leave me, Jacob. No! This isn't fair. You were nothing but wonderful, why do you deserve this?" I choked out through my tears.

"There's nothing we can do, Beth, come into the house," Will said, helping me up and wrapping his arm around my waist as he led me toward the house.

"Ma!" Bridget cried, running to me as we made it through the door. I kissed her forehead and then hugged her to me as tight as I could. I was vaguely aware of Mrs. Evans doing the same to Will. I don't know how long we stood there like that before the sound of hoof-beats and Mark's shouting woke us out of our revere.

"Ma! Ma! Where are you? Bridget? Elizabeth? Will?"

"We're in here, we're okay," Mrs. Evans said, going out to meet her youngest son on the porch. As she left, I looked up, straight into Will's eyes. I stood up and threw my arms around his neck.

"Thank God, you're alright."

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"You still have a lot of serious groveling to do, mister." He chuckled.

"Oh, God, Beth, I'm so sorry. For everything. For what I said and did and for leading that man here to you and to Bridget and Ma. It's my fault Jacob's dead."

"No, it isn't. Jacob chose to throw that rock. He chose to put Bridget's life above his own. In no way are you responsible for that. In fact, it may be my fault. If he hadn't been so in love with my already taken heart, he might not have cared so much about Bridget."

"Already taken? By whom?"

"I thought it was obvious. William Evans, I am head-over-heels in love with you." He pulled away from me to look me in the eye.

"Are you serious?"

"Would I joke about something like that?"

Suddenly he took my hands in his and got down on one knee, pulling out a ring from his pocket.

"Before I lose the chance or the courage…This was my mother's ring. My dad gave it to her when he proposed and I want you to have it."

"What are you saying?"

"Elizabeth Johnson, will you marry me?"

"I look terrible. My clothes are dirty and blood-stained, my eyes are puffy and swollen, my cheeks are tearstained and my bun has come loose. Are you sure you want to marry an ugly, old hag like me?"

"You're younger than me by six months. You'll never be ugly and you are certainly not a hag. And I'd marry you right now, exactly like this if it was the only way to get you to marry me. So, what do you say?"

"Yes, of course, yes. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that."

"About as long as I've been waiting to say it, I'd suppose," he said smiling before taking my face in his hands and kissing me sweetly.

"I love you, Elizabeth Johnson."

"I love you too, William Evans."


	15. AN

A/N: Well, there you go, guys. Whoever is left reading this. I know it took me a while to get up, sorry. But it's finished now. Hope you guys at least enjoyed it.


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